Legislative Update

During the last couple of weeks news throughout the state has focused on our horrific budget circumstances, which of course deserve the utmost attention.  The state’s financial dilemma is without a doubt the most pressing problem facing Illinois, and will almost assuredly remain so for the next year (likely longer), but there are some other issues relating to state government that do have a positive tone.

One of those items happens to be the statewide capital construction program which was signed into law by Governor Quinn a couple of weeks ago.  I haven’t really had an opportunity to discuss it here, yet, but over the next couple of weeks I will keep you up to date on some of the potential projects that may be beginning in our area.

The statewide infrastructure program, dubbed Illinois Jobs Now!, is expected to funnel around $30 billion over the next six years into the state’s ailing roads, bridges and schools.  Projects range from ordinary resurfacing of crumbling roads to the construction of higher education facilities and even new technology ventures such as high speed internet.  Probably the most critical aspect of the construction program, the first in over a decade, is its boost to the struggling Illinois’ economy.  Illinois Jobs Now! is expected to create nearly 450,000 jobs.  A list of projects to be included in the construction program can be found at www.JobsNow.illinois.gov.

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Does Budget Create More Problems than it Fixed?

The short answer to that question is yes.  All that happened in Springfield last week was somewhat of a smoke screen designed to cover the real fiscal problems until later in the year.  That does absolutely no one any good, and as a matter of fact it compounds the problems by creating further uncertainty for those who rely on state services and an even larger deficit that will eventually have to be filled.

The budget that was passed relies on one-time funding gimmicks as a means to pay for the day-to-day operation of state government.  I had to oppose the two main components of the spending plan, one that allows our already indebt state to borrow $3.5 billion and the other that appropriates billions of dollars to state programs but is clearly out of balance and does not stipulate what will be funded or where the cuts will be.

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